January 2005 Parish Council News The magazine for the Parish of Upper Beeding, and

Contact us :

Chairman: Joyce Shaw Tel: 01903 813714

Clerk: Ingrid Caygill Tel: 01903 810316

Editor: Stephanie Shorey Tel: 01903 812913

email: [email protected]

Make the Commitment campaign What is ‘make the commitment’’? Make the commitment is part of West County Council’s strategy to reduce speed related casualties. It encourages drivers to make a personal pledge to drive within the speed limit. Make the commitment is part of the long term campaign designed to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving. Make the commitment – brief history Make the commitment was conceived in 1994 and launched in early 1995, initially in Suffolk. The campaign rapidly gained popularity. In turn , Essex and Cambridgeshire adopted ‘make the commitment’. It was piloted in Norfolk and taken up by Borough Council, Thurrock Council and Peterborough City Council. Away from the eastern region, ‘make the commitment’ has been launched by East & Council, & Hove Council and North Yorkshire Council. How ‘make the commitment’ works It’s simple. The motorist is asked to make a written commitment to try to drive within the speed limit at all times. The form is on a leaflet which is available from Purple Bus Gill Starkie, West Sussex County Council, The Purple Bus will be re- tel: 01243 027 0025 visiting Upper Beeding from e-mail [email protected] Wednesday, 12th January until Easter and will be followed by or write to: Road Safety Unit, Northern Area Office, the Mobile Café on 19th April to Road, , , West 24th May . Sussex RH12 3LZ.

Planning applications Campaign for the protection of rural It has been agreed with and (CPRE) Parish Councils that following the closure of the West Sussex County Councils offices in CPRE have launched a new website where you can , planning applications including those for find out about affordable housing and planning in your the areas of , Steyning and Upper Beeding area – www.cpre.org.uk Parish Councils may be viewed by the public at the Comments are invited. Steyning Centre.

Upper Beeding Parish Council website – www.westsussex.gov.uk/upperbeeding Beeding & Bramber Local History Society 5th Jan – Peter Longstaff-Tyrrell: ‘The artefacts of World War II in Sussex’ 2nd Feb – Trevor Povey: ‘Where the Green meets the Sea’ 2nd Mar – AGM: Speaker to be confirmed 6th Apr – David Tait: ‘Bungalow Town & early cinema in Shoreham’ 7th Sept – Ian Gledhill: ‘Volk’s Railway’ 5th Oct – Tony Pratt: ‘The ’ 2nd Nov – Alison McCann: ‘The Garland Collection of rural photos’

All talks are held in the Beeding and Bramber Village Hall and start at 7.45pm. For further details please contact Pat Nightingale e-mail [email protected]

Your Council – Roles and Responsibilities The Clerk and Proper Officer The Clerk is employed by the Council (under section 112 (1) of the Local Government Act 1972) to provide administrative support for the Council’s activities. Any other staff, although employed by the Council, answers to the Clerk who is their manager and is responsible for their performance. The Clerk’s primary responsibility is to advise the Council on whether its decisions are lawful and to recommend ways in which decisions can be implemented. To help with this, the Clerk can be asked to research topics of concern to the Council and provide unbiased information to help the Council to make appropriate choices. The Clerk has a wide range of other responsibilities which are set out in the job description. The Clerk must recognise that the Council is responsible for all decisions and that he/she takes instructions from the Council as a body. The Clerk is not answerable to any individual councillor – not even the Chairman. The Council must be confident that the Clerk is, at all times, independent, objective and professional. The ‘Proper Officer’ is a title used in statute. It refers to the appropriate officer for the relevant function. In town and Parish Councils, the proper officer is normally the Clerk. In financial matters, the proper officer is known as the Responsible Financial Officer. The Chairman The Chairman is elected by the members of the Council at the Annual Council meeting and serves for twelve months (Section 15 (1) of the Local Government Act 1972). The Chairman's main role is to run Council meetings. The Chairman can suggest the content and design of the agenda, but as legal signatory, the Clerk has the final say. The Chairman is responsible for ensuring that effective and lawful decisions are taken at meetings of the Council, and, assisted by the Clerk, guides activities by managing the meetings of the council. The Chairman is responsible for involving all councillors in discussions and ensuring that councillors keep to the point. The Chairman summarises the debate and facilitates the making of clear resolutions and is responsible for keeping discussions moving so that the meeting is not too long. The Chairman has a casting vote. The Chairman’s first vote is a personal vote as a member of the Council. If there is a tied vote, the Chairman can have a second, casting vote. The Chairman will often be the public face of the Council and will represent the Council at official events. The Chairman may speak on behalf of the Council in such circumstances and should express the agreed views of the Council and not personal views. The Chairman cannot legally make decisions on behalf of the Council.

Dates for your diary Young Drivers’ Skills course Beeding & Bramber Horticultural Society The first students of the young drivers’ skills course spent a day at Goodwood Racetrack with five times The Spring Show will be held at the Village Hall on Le Mans winner Derek Bell. The courses give 17 to 25 Saturday, 19th March and the Autumn Show on year olds the chance to improve their driving skills. Saturday, 27th August. For more information on young drivers’ skills courses The AGM will take place on Friday, 28th October in ring the Hotline on 01243 753 800. the Beeding and Bramber Village Hall.

The Acorn scheme & collections calendar – for your copy of the 2004/05 collection calendar, download from the Horsham District Council website www.horsham.gov.uk or phone 01403 215 995.

Upper Beeding Parish Council website – www.westsussex.gov.uk/upperbeeding The Prince’s Trust – helping young people into rural business The Trust is the largest youth charity in the UK with the main target group being termed ‘disadvantaged young people’ including young people who are unemployed or under-employed, educational under-achievers; offenders and ex-offenders; and those in or leaving care. The Trust wants to help young people (aged up to 30 years) in rural areas succeed. The Trust hopes to do this by developing local links and networks to promote self-employment as an option for 18 to 30 year olds: encouraging them to participate in the rural economy and use local rural skills and products. Building on these community based links, the Prince’s Trust will be seeking to support young people who may be at risk of rural isolation and/or social exclusion, into successful start-up businesses. The Trust can offer soft loans and long term mentoring support. For more information contact tel: 01273 72 33 99 or e-mail [email protected]

Rail Passenger Council From October 2004, there is one national point of contact to offer help and advise on issues that affect rail passengers. Contact details are – Tel: 0453 022 022; fax:08458 501 392; e-mail [email protected] text/phone: 08458 501 354; web www.railpassengers.org.uk Or write to Rail Passenger Council, FREEPOST WA1521, Warrington, WA4 6GP.

Small Dole WI Recycling household batteries Why not come along and visit Small Dole WI? We meet at All Civic Amenities Sites in West Sussex 7:30pm on the second Tuesday of every month in Small Dole now have containers for household Village Hall. batteries like those found in electrical appliances, toys and mobile phones, Our programme for 2005 – rechargeable or single use, including 11th January – Do you speak Sussex? – David Tate nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, 8th February – Sri Lanka slides and talk – Nanette Buck lithium, lithium-ion, alkaline manganese, 8th March – The Campbell Singers silver oxide, zinc carbon, mercury oxide 12th April – Confessions of a telegram boy – Ray Butler etc can be recycled by disposing of them 10th May – Resolutions in the ‘sweet jar’ looking battery 14th June – Fabric dyeing and quilting – Diane Whitehead containers. The majority of these 12th July – Trading Standards Service – a talk containers are placed next to the car August – to be arranged battery containers already in use. 13th September – Harvest Quiz The batteries collected from the Civic 14th October – Annual meeting Amenities Sites in West Sussex by G & P 8th November – Fish and chip supper Batteries Ltd are among the first to be 13th December – Christmas party collected for recycling in the UK as, up Sub-groups – walking; swimming; knitting; lunch club until now, all household batteries For more information contact tel: 01273 494 947 collected have had to be exported. From Beeding Thursday Club early 2005, G & P Batteries will be operating their own battery recycling Thursday 20th January, Peggy Weeks will be presenting 'Beating facility in West Bromwich for all alkaline the Blues‘ – musical instruments and lots of laughter. On batteries which make up about 85% of the Thursday 3rd February we have another amusing speaker – Mr batteries used in the UK Wedgbury – on 'Life's little mysteries'. We meet every other Thursday in the Beeding and Bramber Village Hall. Visitors are very welcome. For more information, please phone Daphne on 01903 814 178 (daytime). Is there any news Saltings Field Conservation Group from the independent There will be an illustrated talk on 'bats' on Thursday 24th people’s February at 7.30pm in the Beeding and Bramber Village Hall. republic of Phone 01903 813 814 for more information. Edburton?

Upper Beeding Parish Council website – www.westsussex.gov.uk/upperbeeding The Towers School Your Bobbies on the Beat Horsham District – Current Catholic school A.S.A.I. Local Police Contacts; Sgt Bob Trevis; PC Martin welcoming Day and Harris and PCSO Sybil Yeo mobile 07990 715156 children of all (Police Community Support Officer). Boarding faiths Offences for which the PCSO is empowered to make decisions regarding action are: UPPER BEEDING, STEYNING, WEST SUSSEX * issue a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for Girls 4 - 16 years : Boys 4 - 11 years dog fouling, littering and riding on footpaths * to request name & address for FPN Three times winner of the Whitbread Prize for GCSE results offences, and offences that cause injury, alarm Scholarships 11+ and distress to another person or damage or loss to another person’s property MINIBUS SERVICE – STORRINGTON – WORTHING * to request the name & address of a FERRING – BRIGHTON person acting in an antisocial manner Forthcoming events * to request a person to stop drinking in a designated public area and to surrender ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS containers of alcohol Saturday 5th FEBRUARY 2005 * to confiscate alcohol cigarettes & and tobacco products from young people OPEN DAY * entry to premises to save life or limb, or Wednesday to prevent serious damage to property 9th NOVEMBER 2005 10.30am * to seize vehicles used to cause alarm and distress For further information about these events please contact The School Secretary, The Towers School, * require removal of abandoned vehicles Upper Beeding, Steyning, West Sussex, * stop a vehicle for emissions testing BN44 3TF Telephone No.01903 812185 * regulate traffic for purposes of escorting www.towers.w-sussex.sch.uk abnormal loads * stop vehicles for purpose of read check (in the presence of a police officer in uniform only) Tottington Woodlanders * maintain and enforce a cordoned area Tottington Woodlanders will be established under the Terrorism Act running their traditional youth * driving elsewhere than a road for more days, for organised groups, than 15 yards (Fixed Penalty Notice or verbal throughout the winter season. warning) The next dates of the youth days * failing to Exhibit Excise Licence (Fixed are Saturday 15th January; Penalty Notice) Saturday 12th February and Saturday 5th March. * unnecessary obstruction of highway (Fixed Penalty Notice) Any organised group of young people (8 to 16) who would like to join us please feel free to contact Malcolm Knight on * Waiting where prohibited (loading & 01273 493 316. However it is important that any group offloading) (Fixed Penalty Notice) wishing to access these days provide sufficient adult * Limited waiting (Fixed Penalty Notice) supervisors. For more information on Tottington Woodlanders’ work, * Parking an HGV on the Footpath or past and present, see the new website – Verge (Fixed Penalty Notice) www.tottingtonwoodlanders.org.uk Council meetings – start at 7:30pm If you have any suggestions for information to be included 11th January Village Hall – Upper Beeding on the website, or want to provide any material for it, such 1st March Village Hall - Upper Beeding as articles or digital photos, please contact Mark via the Committee Meetings – 18th Jan; 15th Feb and website. 15th March – all in the village hall – Upper Beeding starting 7:00pm

Upper Beeding Parish Council website – www.westsussex.gov.uk/upperbeeding